Buttonhole-stitching machine.



PATENTEDAUG. 6,.1907.

c. A. D'AHL. BUTTONHOLEY STITGHIN'G MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED MAR. 14, 19Q'I- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 862,238. vPATBlI'FtTD 'AUG; 6, 1907.

G. A. DAHL. BUTTONHOLB STITGHING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 14,.1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 4

UNITED s'rn'rns PATENT ()FFICE.

CHARLES A. DAHL, or BOSTON, MASBACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR Torus REEOE BIlTTON HOLE nsonINs-oonPAnY, or Bos'roN, msssonuss'r'rs, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

nnrromroLn-srrromne mourns.

To all whom it may comem:

Be it known that I, Cmmms A. Dana, a citizen of the United States, residing: in Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Buttonholestitching" Machines, of

which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the improvement of that class of stitching machine employed for stitching 'buttonholes in clothing. The machine with which I l have chosen to embody my stitch-forming mechanism cooperating with the needle supplying the needle thread, is of thetype known as the. Reece wherein a stitch-frame carrying stitch-forrning mechanism, and.

' a work-supporting or clamping-frame are movable one with relation to the other to enable the stitching to be carried on along the sides (it a buttonhole and about its enlarged end or eye. I v

In my invention, I have combined with the eyepointed'needle of the stitch forming mechanism, complemental thread-carrying means for controlling an under orextra thread that is concatenated with the needle thread in the formation of the stitch, said complemental means including two loopers and spreaders, and means 1 foractuating the spreaders. I have also combined the .complemental thread-carrying means with a carrier'.

a looper provided with a second thread located below the :material and moving under thetusual throat plate mounted on the top of the carrier, the machine also having a non-thread-carrying looper, each looper having coacting with it a spreader that is moved independently by a movable actuator.

Figure 1 in side elevation represents a buttonholc stitching machine with which I have embodied 'iny improvements; Fig. 2 is a detail showing a needle and the circularly movable carrier sustaining the means complemental to the needle making the stitch; Fig.

I 3 is ,a top or plan View of the carrier shownin Fig. 2;'

Fig. 4 is a left hand side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows the actuator detached; Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are details showing the needle, the under thread-carrying loopers and .spreaders in different positions occupied by them in making a stitch; Fig. 5 9 .is a top view of the parts shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 14,1907. Serial No. 3 62344.

latented Aug. 6, 1907.

a detail of the looper and its spreader, the needle being shown in its depressed position. Fig. 10" is a top view of the spreader and looper-carrying block with the spreaders and loopers detached. Fig. 11 is a plan view parts as shown in Fig, 10 with the needle fully elevated, thelooper and spreaderlbeing in the loop of needle thread. Fig; 13 is a plan view showing the position of the looper and spreader when the needle occupies the position Fig. 12.-

Referring to the drawings, a represents a stitch frame, a. the main shaft for actuating the stitch-forming 'of the parts shown in Fig. 10, Fig. 12 is a view of the mechanism, b a needle bar sustained at its upper end in a ball and socket bearing, 0 a needle bar actuating lever, d a hub embracing said bar loosely, d a pin enteringloosely the front end of said needle lever, r an lever, r is an eccentric embraced by said link, said eccentric being revoluble about a stud r held in the framework, said eccentric having connected with it a pinion e? that derives its motion from a gear on the main shaft 0? of the machine, all as provided for in United States PatentN 0. 544,827 dated August 20, 1895. I

Referring again to thedrawings, (1 represents a circularly movable casing havingsecured thereto a partial gear (1", said casing being closed at its lower end'by a plated, the casing being revolubly sustained in an ear d forming part of the framework. The casing in practice receives a spring sustained zone-shaped projection that in turn receives an auxiliary slide bard" suitably grooved to receive part of the lower end of the needle bar, and through which said needle bar is reciprocated during the stitching operation, d represents a lever acting upon the upper end of said zoneshaped projection, said leverbeing pivoted at d and provided at its rear end with a roller d that is-acted' upon bya cam d on the main shaft, said cam in its rotation moving the lever (1 to depress the zone sh iped projection against its spring, said projection moving the slide block 0! to provide for moving laterally the needle bar b carrying the needle d to penetrate the stock in the lineof the edge of the buttonhole and then back from said edge.

eccentric link connected with the rear end of said The needle bar, the slide block d and its actuating mechanism arc and may be all as provided for in said Patent No. 544,827. The framework of the machine has an upright shalt A on the upper end of which is mounted a toothed segment A that engages the gear 'd" referred to, said shaft and segment being the same as the shaft and segment in United States Patent No. 488,028. The lower end of said shaft is provided with a segment A having a projection A with which is connected adjustably a link 13 in tn .1 onnected with a lever having a rolleror other stun that enters a cam pai'ents, said cam hub controlling the annular movement of the stitch-fanning m chanism, and the relative traveling movement of the stitch frame and clamp lower end of a carrier 48 suitably sustained in the frame' United States Patent N0.655,637. In the machine to he herein described, I have, also illustrated a cuttercarryiug'lever G havinga cutter G to cut the work held in a cloth clamp m, said cutter coacting with an anvil in cutting. the cloth held spread by the. cloth 2!) clamp, the cutter and clamp being also common to said Patent No. 655,637,, and also to the other patent referred to;

, Referring now toparts of my invention that I have incorporated with the wellknown type of Reece mav 2o" chine horoinlt'efore briefly referred to, I have added a lover 100 which is pivoted at 101 and provided with a roller stud 102 that enters a cam groove 103 in aaside cain carried by the main shaft, said lever being connected at 104 with the upper end of the link f". Re-

ferringnow to Fig. 2, the upper end of the rod 59 has a stud screw 109 that enters a link 108 connected-at its upper end by-a stud screw 107 with a lever- 106 mounted on a stud screw 105 of the carrier 48, the oppositeiend of said lever having a stud screw 112 with which is conncctcd a link 1.13 in turn connected at its upper end with a stud screw 114, 'oarriedby an arm 115 of-alblock J16 mounted on a studscrew 117 The block has two arms one ot which is provided with a thread-carrying 'looper' 30 and the other with a non-threadt-carrying looper 3 1, each arm of said block being provided with a hole to reccivethe shank, see dotted lines, of twoloop spreader-s 32and 33, the loop spreader 32 coacting with r the thread-carrying loopcr30, while the spreader 33 co-.

7 acts with Jthenon-thread-carrying looper '31 Each spreader. has coacting with it a suitable springv as 34-, 35 that serv'cs nor-mallyto so hold the respective spreadcrs in such relation to the looper with which d coacts that the loopers and spreaders enter simultaneously the loops of needle thread. After the loopers and spreaders are in'tho loops of needle "thread, the spreadcrs are 7 moved with relation to the loopers to spreadthe loops of needle thread, as is necessary in 'the'forrriation of the stitch, as will be described, and to provide for moving w those sprcaders one after the other in the proper 'se- 4", said actuator having two arms h, h each arm having I a long tapered; side. The actuator is mounted on a stud h crccLcdin the upper portion 48 of the carrier, said spreaderactuator having a notch h in its lower end that is (uh-red by a pin it projected from one sideof the block l.l.6,":said pin when said block is moved in one or the-otherdiroctibn meeting alternately the shoulders at I the sides of the notch h and moving the upper end of- -v the spreader actuator in a direction opposite themove qucuco, have combined with said spreaders an inde-- pendent spreader actuator H shown detached in Fig.

ment of the bloclc l16 carrying the loopers, so that one of the'beveled parts of one of the arms of said spreader actuator, when the actuator is moved in one direction, meets one ofthe spreaders and moves it, the opposite beveled arm of thespreadefactuator; when moved in the opposite direction, meeting the other spreader and moving it. The spreader actuator herein shown, owing to its construction and combination with the carrier, and the block on which is mounted the loopers and spreaders enables lthe speed of the stitch-forming mechanism to be greatly increased and enables the spreaders to be actuated at their maximum speed with the minimum of friction or shock. The stitch produced by the mechanism herein described comprises .two threads, aneedle, thread it carried by the needle (I and a looper thread it carried by the thread-carrying looper 30. I When the stitchingofa buttonhole is to be com-- menced, theneedle (1 will stand with its point above the fabric, and at a distance from what is to he the edge of abuttonhole equaito the distance ofthe depth stitch, back from the edge of the buttonholeslit, as in" Fig 2, and the needle will be made 'to descend ram 7 the position Fig. 2 for its first stitch,theneedle peneofthe parts, Figs. 2-and 3, the needle after penetrating the material passes between the looper 30 and spreader '32 andbehind 0! to the .lftoi the looper thread-t, and

the block 116'wi1l then be moved to the-left causing the looper 30 to draw the looper thread about the needle then in the material, as shown in Fig. 5. Now the needle starts to rise and the looper continues its move- 10$ merit toward the left, a loop oi the'th'read t is thrown out from the sideiof the needi which loop is entered by thenon-thread-carrying looper 31, it having a'point .w and a shoulder U), see Fig. 9, and the -spreader 33 having a point and a shoulder 33 and the needle con- 1 10 tinues torise after said looper and spreader enter the loop of needle thread. As theneedl'e completes its ascent, the slide block 11 is moved to shift the'needle laterally so that it is placed the vertical plane of the edge of the slit cut in the material'hel'd in the cloth clamp in usual manner, and at the same time the spreader actuator'is moved to the right to act on the spreader 33 back of its pivot and move the spreader to spread. the loop of needle thread held by the looper 31 and spreader 33, the movement of the looper'31 to the left acting through the shoulders to and 33 to carry p the loop of needle thread from tl1e""point wherethe needle emerged from the material, to and across the ownthread then held spread by the looper 31 spreader 33. After this the block 116' and its loopers are moved into their farthest position to the left, Figsl' and 9. Then the block and its loopers are started towardthe right at which time the looper 31 backs out 'of the loop of needle thread, and the'needle in the final part of its descent tightens the loop of needle thread so cast from the looper 31 and spreader 33, drawing said loop to the edge of the slit. After this the needle starts to rise, a loop of needle thread is thrown out, and the approaching looper enters the loop of needle thread, as shown in Fig. 10, and in the further movement of the looper 30 to the right, the spreader 32 enters the loop of needle thread and the spreader actuator is moved to the left to contact with the spreader 32 and move it into the positions, Figs. 3 and 13, to spread the loop of needle thread under the edge of the fabric and back of said edge Where the needie, in its next descent, is to enter the fabric, it being understood that the needle is shifted or moved laterally each time that it rises into substantially its high est position, all as provided for in said Patent No. 544,827. As the needle continues in its descent through the material, it will pass to the left of the loopcr thread and between said thread and a loop of needle thread at that time held on thelooper 30 and spreader 32. As the needle continues its descent, the block 116 and looper are started toward the left, and the looper :50 and spreader 32 then closed retire from both loops leaving a loop of looper thread about a loop of needle thread, and as the needle completes its descent,it acting on its own thread, drawsthe same taut to complete the stitch. After this, the needle rises, and at the cornpletion of its ascent is moved laterally, and the block, loopers, and actuator are again brought into the positions, Figs. 2 and 3. This completes the round of two thrusts of the needle, one through the fabric and the other over the edge thereof, and this action is repeated throughout the stitching of the buttonhole.

The-material having the slit, the edgeof which is to be overstitched iii the formation of a buttonhole, will,

in practice, he held in the clamp m, such as herein 7 partially shown, but fullydescribed in'said patent,

the cutter being actuated by means fully described in said patent, said patent also describing fullyv means for starting the stitching preferably at the inner end of the slit and continuing said stitching along one side of said slit about its enlarged end or eye and back along the other side of the buttonhole, the needle bar being moved laterally when iii its upper position between one and its next stitch, the stitch-forming mechanism traveling longitudinally with relation to the work held in said work clamp while the straight sides of the buttonhole are being stitched, and as the eye of the buttonhole is being stitched, the needle will have imparted to it an extra swing, as provided for in said Reece patents, to enable the eye of the buttonhole to be shaped or rounded as provided for in said patent, the carrier containing the block on which is mounted the loopers, spreaders and actuator, as well as the casing d, being partially rotated While the stitching is being carried on about the eye of the buttonhole, The machine herein illustrated partiallywill in the particulars not herein fully described be the same in construction and operation as in the Reece patents referred to, and the cam hub referrdd to will be provizde with a projection at its upper side for actuating the "c later-carrying lever to cut the buttonhole slit preferably just before the beginning of the stitching of a buttonhole, I preferring to cut the slit before stitching rather than after, as may be done, as by cutting the fabric before stitching it is possible to overstitch and form a cleaner and smoother edge.

The central portion of the block 116 is providedjwith a loop turner n shown as presenting two shoulders n, 11 said shoulders being left by the formation of a notch in the upper end of said turner. As the needle rises its loop is thrown out at both sides of the eye of the needle, this happening while the needle is opposite said notch, and as these loops are thrown out the shoulders a, a strike said loop at its fabric conncted or inactive side and causes the outer or active side of the loop projecting from the needle to be moved or turned slightly toward thy advancing looper, thus insuring the entrance of the looper into the loop of needle thread. These features insure the entrance of the loopers into the loop of needle thread and prevents any skipping of stitches, which is liable to happen when the stitch-forming mechanism is run at extra high speed.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a buttonlible stitching machine, the combination of a needlebar and lits eyepointed needle, of complemental under thread-carrying mechanism comprising a plurality of loopers, a plurality of loop spreaders, an independent spreader-actuating member, and means Ior moving said spreadernctnating member.

2. In a buttonhole stitching machine,the combination of a needle-bar and its eye-pointed needle, of complementalv 'under thread-carrying mechanism comprising a plurality of loopers and a plurality of loop spreaders, an independent two-armed spreader-actuating member, and means for moving said spreader-actuating member to move first one and then-the other of said spreaders.

- 3. In a buttonhole stitching machine, a needle-bar, an eye-pointed needle, means'for moving the needle-bar and needle, a carrier, and means for imparting circular movement to said carrier, combined with a plurality of loopers, a plurality of loop spreaders, and an independent movable actuator for moving said spreaders with relation to said loopers.

4. in a buttonhole sewing machine, a carrier, a plurality of loopers mounted thereon, a plurality of pivoted loop spreaders coacting with said loopers, and an independent spreader actuator pivoted on said carrier, combined with means for moving said loopers and actuator, the latter moving the spreaders one after the other to operate substantially as described.

5. In a buttonhole stitching machine, a needle-bar, an eye-pointed needle, means for moving the needle-bar and needle, :1 carrier, and means for imparting circular movc ment to said carrier, combined with a plurality of loopers, a plurality of loop spreader-s, an independent spreader actuator, and means to move the latter in a directiomop posite the movement of the loopers to actuate the Spreaders to spread the loops of needle thread.

(3. In a buttonhole stitching machine, a loopercarrying block having a loop turner, two loopers and means for moving said block and loopers, combined with a'needle,

and means for actuating the some, said loop turner meeting'the loops of needle thread at its inactive side as the needle is rising and turning the active side of said loop toward the approaching looper.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. DALI L.

Witnesses:

THOMA S J. CAR'IY, FREDERICK W. DAVISON. 

